December 18, 2025 in News
Celebrating Excellence at the 2025 AMCA National Indust...
A.G. Coombs is proud to announce that six of our team members have been recognised at the 2025 AMCA National Industry Excellence Awards, held in Melbo...
December 5, 2024
During the year, industry experts from across A.G. Coombs provide useful building services advice through our Advisory Notes.
For your convenience and easy reference, you’ll find recent Advisory Notes consolidated below:
- Integrated Fire Mode Testing — Fundamental to Building Fire & Safety Compliance
- Operational Analytics & Data Driven Maintenance (DDM)
- Mould in Buildings & HVAC Systems
- Navigating Heat Pump Retrofits — A Guide for Facility Managers
- Legislative Change is Coming — Do you have a Building Fire Safety Systems Manual
- The Importance of Data Classification & Structure
- Safe Working Around Electrical Equipment
- How Effective is your Fire Sprinkler System
- Decommissioning Trigeneration Systems
- EV Charging in Buildings
We hope you find Advisory Notes a valuable source of practical information
and insight.
On behalf of A.G. Coombs teams everywhere, we look forward to keeping you informed in 2025.
Visit the A.G. Coombs website to see the complete library of 65 Advisory Notes.
Integrated Fire Mode Testing — Fundamental to Building Fire & Safety Compliance
Modern fire protection systems are now often integrated into other building systems and require a comprehensive testing approach to assure they will operate in line with the building’s fire safety strategy when required.
Marcus Royle, Leader – Fire
A.G. Coombs Advisory
Operational Analytics & Data Driven
Maintenance
Over the past decade, automated data analytics have been seamlessly integrated into various facets of our daily lives, including the operation and maintenance of buildings such as commercial offices, educational facilities, infrastructure, and healthcare establishments. As facility owners, managers, and building service providers embrace this advanced technology, the methods for collecting, storing, and analysing operational building data have evolved significantly.
Andrew Smith, National Leader – Building Technologies
A.G. Coombs Advisory
Mould in Buildings & HVAC Systems
Mould plays an important role in the natural environment as a break-down mechanism for dead organic matter. In the built environment it is an unwanted presence and a particular problem in the warm and humid conditions experienced in much of Australia. Unpleasant and unsightly, it can damage fabric and equipment and is a threat to the health of occupants.
Andrew Bagnall, Leader – Technical Advice (NSW/ACT)
A.G. Coombs Advisory
Navigating Heat Pump Retrofits — A Guide for Facility Managers
A lot has changed since we released our first Advisory Note on heat pumps back in 2018. Increasingly, building owners are no longer asking if heat pumps should be installed to replace fossil fuel-fired heating technology, but instead are asking when – and how.
Andrew Nagarajah, Sustainability Leader – Group Engineering
A.G. Coombs Advisory
Legislative Change is Coming — Do you have a Building Fire Safety Systems Manual
Building owners and facility managers often don’t have access to a full set of accurate documentation for of their buildings to support effective and safe ongoing operation, maintenance and modifications. This limits the ability to manage a building over its lifecycle and ensure occupant safety and regulatory compliance.
Marcus Royle, Leader – Fire
A.G. Coombs Advisory
The Importance of Data Classification & Structure
As the construction and property sectors continue to develop and embrace new technologies including digital twins, cognitive buildings, artificial intelligence and machine learning, there is a need to ensure that data systems are suitable to maximise the potential value and return on investment.
Nathan Semos, Executive Manager
A.G. Coombs Advisory
Safe Working Around Electrical Equipment
In response to the identification of potential risks to workers from electric shock and arc flash, an Australian Standard has been updated to provide new guidelines for the principles for safe working.
John Topounakis, Leader – Electrical
A.G. Coombs Advisory
How effective is your Fire Sprinkler System
The principle on which fire sprinklers operate is a simple one and has been the same since they were invented in 1806, the automatic discharge of water on a fire. It is still the most practical and effective method to control fire in a building. This advisory note explains the principles behind automatic fire sprinkler systems, common reasons for system failure and a key test for older systems that is often overlooked.
Marcus Royle, Leader – Fire
A.G. Coombs Advisory
Decommissioning Trigeneration Systems
Soaring gas prices, uncertainty around the validity of carbon offsets and updates to the National Greenhouse Accounts emissions factors are just some of the reasons that building owners are switching off their trigeneration and cogeneration plants. This Advisory Note provides an overview of the drivers for decommissioning trigeneration systems and sets out typical issues that need to be addressed.
John Bourne, Leader – Sustainability
A.G. Coombs Advisory
EV Charging in Buildings
With the increasing demand for electric vehicles, particularly in urban centres, provision of suitable charging infrastructure must be considered within buildings.
John Topounakis, Leader – Electrical
A.G. Coombs Advisory
View the Advisory Notes library…
Advisory Notes published by A.G. Coombs are a longstanding information service developed to keep our valued customers and colleagues better informed and up to date on building issues, particularly in the changing areas of regulatory and industry standards.
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